Ukraine has established a lethal 16-mile (25-kilometer) deep kill zone behind the front lines using millions of explosive drones, Forbes reports. This massive drone network has dramatically reshaped the battlefield.
“If you simply drive on any roads, you risk your life,” one Russian blogger warned in journalist David Axe’s report. The blogger noted that while this threat has existed since spring 2024, the frequency of attacks is much higher now.
Ukraine can’t shoot down all of Russia’s missiles. So they’re blowing them up before launch.
Faced with ammunition shortages in early 2024, Ukrainian forces turned to small, first-person-view (FPV) drones. Today, domestic workshops produce over 2 million FPV drones every month. Each drone weighs just a few pounds, carries a small warhead, and is capable of precise strikes.
The drone operations have evolved into a highly coordinated system. As described by the Russian blogger, “flocks” of drones conduct attacks following reconnaissance by fixed-wing UAVs. The drone network now includes bomber drones that drop explosives, FPVs for direct strikes, and repeater drones that extend operational range to more than 10 miles (16 kilometers).
Kyiv hunts jammers, eyes 60-mile reach
Russia also deploys millions of drones each month, but Ukraine’s electronic warfare units have proven more effective. Ukrainian jammers frequently disrupt Russian radio-controlled drones. Although fiber-optic drones can resist jamming, they remain expensive—costing thousands of dollars each, compared to a few hundred for wireless versions. In response, Ukraine has targeted and bombed Russian fiber-optic drone production facilities.
A new threat, however, has emerged. A Russian jammer known as Black Eyes poses a challenge. Ukrainian drone expert Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov called it “dangerous.” But Ukraine is actively countering it: FPV drones with modified communications systems—operating on non-standard frequencies—are now used to track and destroy Black Eyes units.
Ukraine’s drone supremacy has played a key role in slowing Russian advances in eastern Ukraine and increasing Russian casualties, according to Axe.
Looking forward, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces—the independent military branch managing its drone fleet—plans to expand this aerial dominance. Military analyst Andrew Perpetua told Axe the goal is to establish “layers of drone superiority” extending up to 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the front line—quadrupling the current depth.
